Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, receives a copy of the book titled “Knowledge and Education during the Period of King Abdullah” after opening the forum on unplanned regions at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saturday. – SPA MAKKAH – Authorities are giving top priority to correct the status of people in Makkah region and improve their living conditions while implementing a massive plan for developing unplanned neighborhoods in the region, Emir of Makkah region Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said Saturday at the inauguration of the first forum to develop unplanned areas in Makkah region at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU). Prince Khaled noted that the first project that he had presented to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after taking over as Emir was development of unplanned districts in the Holy City. “I received quick and positive response from the King allowing me to go ahead with the plan. I promise you that we will realize the aspirations of King Abdullah, who announced that ‘there is nothing precious than Makkah,' in developing Makkah as the most beautiful city in the world,” he said. Prince Khaled noted that the King ordered the formation of a ministerial committee, headed by the then Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Miteb, and then by the late Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, who gave utmost importance to implement the project. The Emir said that the problem of unplanned neighborhoods is not limited to Makkah alone but it is a global one. “Such districts are everywhere in the world. But regarding Makkah, we had to face myriad problems when we sat together to tackle the issue of unplanned districts, and some of them related to the large number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims who overstayed their visas,” he said. “There are also problems of those who moved to the Holy City after fleeing their countries due to religious reasons and they are living in this city since several years. It is essential to tackle the problems caused by these people.” Prince Khaled said that the Saudi experience in tackling the problem of unplanned districts in Makkah region is quite different from other cities in the world. “This is because we give utmost importance to the development of human resources than anything else. There are hundreds of thousands of residents in these districts who do not have either IDs or jobs. The grave challenge in front of us was to correct the status of these people rather than the construction of any roads or setting up of utility projects,” he said. “Therefore, the government, represented by the ministerial committee, vowed to take a head count of these people and then study their individual and family problems and then work out solutions to address this vital problem.” The Emir stressed that the authorities are putting emphasis on correcting the residential status of these people and giving them education and training so as to enable them to take up jobs. “Our main concern is to uplift these people.” – SG/SPA
